


ain't even done with the night

by ourdarkspirits



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Background Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Getting Together, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:00:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourdarkspirits/pseuds/ourdarkspirits
Summary: Nicky and Joe need an experienced gambler for a job. Booker still has another twenty years in his exile but he's really the best option. Adding a deadly competent woman who happens to be gorgeous will ensure Booker goes in with back up and is underestimated. Joe, Nicky, Booker and Nile work a job in Monte Carlo.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77
Collections: The Old Guard Mini Bang 2020





	ain't even done with the night

**Author's Note:**

> The working title of this fic was 'some people try to give Booker a heart attack' and that was really the goal here. How many times can the author metaphorically kill Booker in one fic because he can't do emotions?
> 
> Art by [](https://emiliaoagi.tumblr.com/)emiliaoagi on tumblr
> 
> And thanks to [](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbelles)redbelles for indulging this nonsense and for helping fill in the plot holes and polishing this into something that makes sense
> 
> Title from John Mellencamp’s song of the same name

His phone was ringing incessantly and Booker couldn’t ignore it much longer. Groaning, he rolled over to grab it from the table by his bed. The screen said Nicky. For all that they weren’t supposed to meet him for another twenty or so years on the Thames, his family continued to contact him at random times. He pressed accept.

“It is too early for a phone call, Nicky,” Booker said, by way of greeting.

“Rough night?” Nicky asked, a hint of amusement coloring his voice, which only made Booker frown.

“No. What do you need?” He desperately wanted to go back to sleep. “And how did you find me?” he added after a moment. He thought he’d done a pretty good job of staying off their radar.

He didn’t want to talk about the job he had finished the night before, the one that involved a drug ring. It had been successful, but he was pretty sure he had only collapsed into his bed an hour ago, and now he was trying to have a coherent conversation with Nicky.

“Copley kept tabs on you. His successor took on the job so we don’t accidentally run into each other,” Nicky explained, “but I have a job I need you for. In Monte Carlo.”

Despite himself, Booker’s interest was piqued. Any job Nicky had in mind in Monte Carlo would involve gambling, something that he still quite enjoyed, even if his games were no longer quite so high stakes as they used to be.

“What’s the job?” he asked, a little less gruff. Once he got all the details from Nicky he fully intended to be back asleep for at least another ten hours.

“It’s a crime ring that just popped up, using the Casino as a cover,” Nicky began, giving the building a capital C that Booker couldn’t miss. “They’re already notorious, and I think if we act now, we can dismantle them before they get too firmly embedded in Europe. I need you as a front, to draw out the leaders. Joe will be your muscle.”

Booker was nodding to himself. Then he said, “It could work.” It needs a little more polish, some more detail to be a truly good plan, but it could work. Still, he can’t imagine Joe would have agreed to this.

“What did Joe say?” he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Nicky?”

“He agreed it’s our best option, considering your background.” Booker noted the hesitation in his voice.

“As a criminal, you mean,” he clarified.

“Yes.” Another pause. “We’ve seen the results of what you’ve been doing on your own, Booker. And I know you and Nile have run into each other over the years. Joe is willing to work with you, even if he’s not ready to have you back on the team yet.”

“Ok,” Booker said on an exhale. “Ok. I’ll be your bait.”

“Excellent,” Nicky said. “Oh, and one more thing,” he added.

Booker had a moment to feel a wary sense of trepidation about what Nicky would say next. It proved worse than he thought.

“I’m going to ask Nile to masquerade as your date, to make them more likely to dismiss you. Make you seem like a wealthy playboy who’s only interested in high stakes poker and beautiful women.”

“She won’t agree to it,” Booker told him.

“I think she will,” Nicky countered. There was something in his voice that Booker couldn’t identify but he moved past it.

“Why not ask Andy or Quynh?” Booker tried a different tack. They would be just as believable as his date as Nile. And they would be far less distracting.

“They’re doing some sort of world tour, getting to know each other again sort of thing.” Booker could imagine Nicky waving his hand to demonstrate. “I can’t have you looking like a threat, Booker.”

Booker had to admit the optics would make anyone dismiss him as a potential threat. That didn’t mean he liked it though. He had run into Nile multiple times over the last couple of decades. It had begun to feel like a friendship was growing between them. He didn’t think having her come along to look like the girlfriend of a wealthy playboy would help him keep thinking of her solely as a friend rather as he had for all these years. Anything else was asking for trouble.

“Booker?” Nicky prompted, after the silence had stretched on a little too long.

“Fine,” Booker said. “I still don’t like it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll see you in three days. I’ll text you the address,” Nicky told him.

He hung up the phone. Not even a minute later, he had a text from Nicky with an address. He put the phone back on the table by his bed and fell into a blessedly deep sleep. Only later would he think to ask how it was that he kept accidentally running into Nile if Copley’s successor was keeping tabs on him.

* * *

Three days later, Booker checked into the hotel at the address Nicky had sent him. The lobby was opulent and bright, the sort of place a rich man would insist on staying. A glance around told him Nicky wasn’t in the lobby. Neither were Nile or Joe. He took the key from the concierge with a quiet _merci_ and brought his things with him to the room.

He was sitting on the bed wondering where the hell Nicky was when a knock on the door answered that question. He opened the door and Joe and Nicky both walked past him into the room.

“Hello,” Booker said with a bemused expression. “Please. Come in.”

“Hello, Booker,” Joe said with a wide grin as he walked past.

Booker couldn’t deny how right it felt to have both of them in his hotel room with him about to do a job. They had logistics to figure out and clothes to buy but right now it was just the three of them. Three, but Nicky had said he’d ask Nile.

“Nicky,” he said, drawing a curious look for the other man. “Didn’t you say you’d ask Nile?”

Nicky nodded, a small smile on his face. “She should be here soon. Then we’ll discuss what we need to do before you show up at the Casino.”

Booker pulled a book from his duffle and sat in the chair by the window, allowing Nicky and Joe the space to talk quietly. They were clearly still on edge, the comfort of two centuries’ acquaintance not easily replaced after what he had done. Still, the sound of their voices in the background felt like home. He didn’t know how much time had passed when someone knocked on the door. Booker carefully closed his book and stood, watching Nicky open the door.

“Nile.” Booker could hear the smile in Nicky’s voice as he greeted her with a hug.

Joe greeted her next and Nile rewarded him with a bright smile. Booker felt frozen to the spot. He couldn’t stop looking at her. It had been almost a decade since he had last seen her and he had thought perhaps he had blown her memory out of proportion. Now, here she was, and the smile she gave him was softer than the one she had given Joe.

“Hi, Booker,” she said evenly.

“Hello, Nile,” he replied.

“Well,” Joe said briskly, clapping his hands together. “Let’s start talking about our job.”

Joe and Nicky took the loveseat while Nile and Booker took the chairs by the window. The plan was relatively straightforward. Booker would go in as a wealthy playboy with Nile on his arm looking suitably distracting. Joe would go in as his muscle. The combination of the wealthy playboy, his arm candy, and a bodyguard with an exceptional ability to look brooding should be enough to draw the attention of the crime ring’s leaders.

Joe turned to Nile. “Do you have a dress?”

“I only brought a duffle,” Nile replied. “It seemed like a better idea to buy a dress in Monaco than pack one.”

Joe closed his eyes briefly and Booker couldn’t quite read the expression on his face. “That’s fine. We’ll go today to buy a dress for you.”

Nile grinned at him and Booker felt a pang of jealousy. “Sounds fun.”

“What about you, Booker?” Nicky asked, jolting Booker out of his moment of jealousy.

“A dress?” He asked, confused.

Joe rolled his eyes. “No, Booker,” Nicky said, “a suit.”

“Right,” Booker said. “Of course.”

He would need to get himself together if this mission was going to be a success. He had worked with Nile before. He would be professional, even if his heart nearly leapt out of his chest at the sight of Nile stepping into the hotel room.

The four of them parted ways, Nicky with Booker and Joe with Nile. There was a fine boutique for men’s wear not far from the hotel that Nicky brought Booker to. As the attendant brought out some options for Booker, Nicky turned to him.

“I was not aware how fond you are of Nile,” Nicky remarked.

“Is this where you give me a shovel talk?” Booker asked drily.

“I don’t think I need to,” Nicky replied. “She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But,” he added after a brief pause, “I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Booker told him.

“Good.”

“ _Monsieur,_ ” the attendant interjected, indicating the suits waiting for Booker’s approval.

Booker brought a suit into the changing room. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Nicky had said. He did not want to hurt Nile and if he would hurt her if she got too close to him. Three centuries had told him that the people who were close to him got hurt. He didn’t think it would be a problem. Surely everything he felt for her was one-sided. Booker stepped out of the fitting room.

“No, I don’t think it works,” Nicky commented, scrutinizing Booker.

“It’s fine,” Booker replied, feeling irritated.

“No, it’s not right. And it doesn’t fit in the arms,” Nicky told him. “I think this one will be better,” he added, gesturing to the deep green suit, so dark it was almost black.

Booker sighed and brought the other suit into the dressing room and put on the suit Nicky had indicated. It did fit him better, he had to agree. And the color was just subtle enough to not draw too much attention, but different enough that it would draw the eye. Booker stepped out.

“Yes,” Nicky said, “much better.”

Booker had to agree. This suit looked better on him than the last one. “Are we done now?” he asked.

“Sure, Booker,” Nicky replied with a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “We’re done. Nile will like the suit, I think.”

Booker fought the urge to tell Nicky it didn’t matter, that he wouldn’t be trying anything with Nile. They were better off if they remained friends. He wouldn’t hurt her that way. Booker went to change out of the suit so they could pay and leave.

As they left, Nicky asked, “Are you worried about hurting Nile?”

“Of course I am,” Booker grumbled as he put his sunglasses on. “You’ve known me for almost three centuries. I don’t want to hurt her, but I will.”

Nicky sighed and gave him an exasperated look. “Let’s get lunch,” he said.

They walked into a little bar and Nicky ordered while Booker found a table near a window. This wasn’t going to be a shovel talk but he still wasn’t looking forward to it. Nicky sat down across from him. He turned his cappuccino back and forth a few times on the table then looked up at Booker.

“You won’t hurt her, Booker,” he said gently.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Booker tried to argue, but Nicky cut him off.

“That is why you will not hurt her,” Nicky replied earnestly.

“It’s not that easy,” Booker said.

Nicky lifted an eyebrow skeptically. “You think so? Do you think I did not believe I would hurt Joe?”

“It’s not the same.”

“Why not? We were enemies in a terrible war. I was the invader,” Nicky reminded him. “My very presence in the region was an affront against Joe. I was a soldier in an army who raped and looted and murdered his people. I knew being with me would hurt him.”

“But you love him,” Booker said.

“Do you love her?” Nicky asked.

The server interrupted them, placing plates in front of both of them.

“ _Grazie,”_ Nicky said with a soft smile. Then he looked back to Booker, still waiting for his answer.

“I don’t know.” Booker paused. “I think so.”

Nicky nodded like that made sense. And perhaps, Booker thought, it did make sense. He never saw Joe and Nicky together before they fell in love. Perhaps Nicky knew what it felt like to be feeling something for someone without knowing if it was love. But he was here now, comfortable in his love. Booker let out a long sigh that turned into a chuckle.

“What does it matter, huh? She doesn’t love me.” Booker asked in a self deprecating tone.

“Oh, I think you don’t have to worry too much about that,” Nicky remarked gently.

Booker didn’t know what to say to that, wasn’t sure he wanted to believe Nicky. If what he felt for Nile was requited then he didn’t have many excuses left, except a little over twenty years left of his exile. Even with all the times he’s met Nile over the years, he couldn’t believe Nicky was right, and so he firmly kept to his own belief that anything he might feel about Nile was completely one-sided. He pointedly did not ask Nicky what he meant and the conversation drifted to what they had been up to over the last seventy years.

* * *

Back at the hotel room, Joe and Nile were still not back from their shopping excursion, so Booker picked up his book and started reading. Nicky took out his guns and began cleaning them in preparation for the upcoming job. It felt like old times, and it was so easy for Booker to settle back into that sense of camaraderie.

Joe and Nile let themselves into the room laughing. Booker looked up and was immediately drawn to the bright expression of happiness on Nile’s face. He wanted to be the reason for that look Nicky looked over at him with a knowing air about him and Booker frowned at him and shook his head. Nile laid the garment bag that she had brought in onto a nearby chair and then sat down next to Booker.

He closed his book and turned to her. “Did you have a good time?”

She grinned at him. “Joe thinks you’ll like the dress.”

Booker glanced at Joe before turning back to Nile. “Is that so?”

She hummed. “What about you?”

“The suit will work.”

He wished he could say anything else but the conversation with Nicky was weighing on him. He wanted to tell her that over seventy years of meeting with her he’d come to realize how important she was to him, but he didn’t want to lose what he had with her. Joe and Nicky watched the pair of them with knowing looks that Booker pointedly ignored.

Nicky and Joe spent the rest of the afternoon putting the final details into place. Booker did more research about their targets while Nile casually sharpened the knives she would be arming herself with. She was persistently in his space the entire afternoon and Booker did his best to pretend that this didn’t affect him at all.

Nicky and Joe wrapped up the details and Joe’s eyes met Nile’s. “ _Habibti_ ,” he said, “let’s get you ready for the job.”

Booker’s eyes followed Nile as she got up and went with Joe into the adjoining room. Nicky had an expression on his face that Booker found difficult to decipher. He was tempted to think Nicky pitied him; he didn’t even want to know what he and Joe had in store for him. After a little longer, Booker went to dress and clean himself up. When he was ready, he tried to go back to his book, but he couldn’t sit still.

“Booker, please,” Nicky chastised him, “relax. This is a routine job. It will be fine.”

He didn’t know how to explain what was on his mind. “I know,” he said. “It’s an easy job.”

“So stop pacing,” Nicky said.

The door to the adjoining room opened and Booker stopped pacing. He was arrested by the sight of Nile in a dress that was all too revealing. His feet were rooted to the spot. He couldn't stop staring. The dress was cut to make it look like the bodice clung to her, leaving miles of rich skin exposed. He could tell without seeing it that her back was equally bare. There was a slit in the skirt that would allow her access to the sheaths strapped to her thigh, while revealing most of her leg. Booker forgot how to breathe.

Distantly, he heard Joe ask, “Do you think he’s having a heart attack?”

“Be nice,” Nile replied, hitting his arm..

“I am being nice, but I don’t think he’s taken a breath since we came back into the room,” Joe said, laughter in his voice.

“Nile.” Booker finally made words come out of his mouth. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Booker,” Nile replied, with a decidedly dangerous smile on her face.

“Are we ready?” Nicky asked. He was very definitely not smiling, but Booker was pretty sure he wanted to.

Booker spun to face Nicky so he wouldn’t have to look at Nile. “Yes. Yes, we’re ready. Let’s go.”

The group filed out of the room, Joe and Nicky leading the way, and Booker and Nile brought up the rear. Nile tucked her arm into Booker’s elbow. It was all for the cover, but he couldn’t focus on anything but her proximity as they walked out to the car that would take them to the Casino. Nicky got into the car, with Joe in the passenger seat and Nile and Booker in the back. As soon as the door closed behind him, Booker put some distance between himself and Nile.

Before Booker could get out and open the door for Nile, Nicky turned around in the driver’s seat. “Remember, I will see everything you see with the camera on your jacket, so if Joe loses sight of you, you’ll still be covered.”

Booker nodded tensely and the three of them went inside. Nicky would be setting up in his nest across the street. Nile’s hand was in his elbow again and her body pressed up against his. He could hear Joe snicker in his ear piece. Booker tried to ignore him.

He collected his chips and sat down at a blackjack table. The dealer dealt him in. For the first round, Nile hovered at his shoulder, her presence like a light buzz at the back of his mind. He won that round and pulled his winnings in.

“ _Chéri_ ,” Nile murmured in his ear, “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?” she continued in French.

“ _Tu me sais_ , _mon cœur,_ ” he murmured back, letting his hand caress her waist. The action and the term of endearment felt bold.

She gave him a smile and left with a slight swing to her step. Her hips sashayed more than usual as she walked away. The dealer cleared his throat and Booker realized he had been staring. He turned his attention back to the table.

“Pay attention, Booker,” Joe’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Your bet, _monsieur_?” the dealer prompted him.

“Of course,” Booker muttered, pushing chips onto the table.

He used to be a proficient gambler. He had pocketed many a rich man’s fortunes during the 19th century. Tonight he was being distracted by a woman who had no mind for him. This was ridiculous. He returned his attention to the table. He won another round before Nile returned with a champagne flute in one hand and a rocks glass in the other. She draped an arm around his shoulders, champagne fizzing near his ear, and placed the rocks glass on the table before him. She pressed her whole body against his to do so.

As Nile sat down in his lap, Booker turned ostensibly to press a kiss to her cheek and murmured in her ear. “Don’t you think you’re laying it on a bit thick?”

“Nope. This was the plan, Book.” Her voice replaced the champagne fizz, sending a tremor of anticipatory pleasure down his spine. Then, moving to his jaw, “They won’t think I’m a threat if I’m all over you.”

She switched her flute to her other hand and took a sip, letting a smile curl her lips. The other players gave him knowing grins and Booker tried to return their looks. His grip tightened on Nile’s waist.

“Relax, _mon amour,_ ” she murmured in his ear, her free hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “And don’t forget to play the game.”

He indicated to the dealer he wanted to hold and at the end of the round raked in more chips. Somehow, Booker continued to win, even with Nile playing with his hair and her body pressed against his.

His glass was empty when a man tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me, _monsieur_? I must ask you and your charming companion to come with me.”

Booker squeezed Nile’s hip briefly and she stood up. He followed suit, laying his hand at the small of her back as he turned to face the man who’d pulled him from the table. This was what they had been waiting for: the mark had finally taken the bait of the man who was just a little too good at the game with the gorgeous woman on his arm.

“Is there a problem?” Booker asked innocently.

“No. No problem,” the man assured him. “The house would just like a word.”

Joe sidled up next to Booker, radiating casual menace. “Is there a problem, Boss?” He gave the man a hard look.

Booker forced himself to ignore how strange it was for Joe to call him boss when that was Andy and said, “I’m fine.” He began to follow the security guard but turned back to Joe, “But stay close, just in case.”

Joe nodded and followed behind Booker and Nile, maintaining a careful distance behind them.

“Your security is unnecessary, I assure you,” the casino security guard said. “The meeting is simply routine.”

Nile pressed a little closer to him, playing the role of his date distractingly well. The guard opened up a door and stood aside to let them through. He shut it behind them, leaving Joe on the other side.

“Nicky and I are covering you,” came Joe’s voice in his ear.

Booker nodded before remembering Joe couldn’t see him. He turned to Nile using her feigned nervousness as an excuse to speak. “Don’t worry, _chérie,_ everything will be alright.”

She nodded and pressed a little closer to him, which should have been impossible.

“Yell if you need anything,” Joe said, then lapsed into silence.

The man brought them into a small office, comfortably outfitted. It was empty except for the three of them. The security guard gestured to the two chairs in front of the heavy wooden desk and the pair of them sat down. Nile’s hand sought out his and he gripped it tightly, a show of comfort for a worried girlfriend. The guard stood silently behind them.

“Are we in trouble, _mon amour?”_ Nile murmured.

“Don’t worry, _mademoiselle,_ ” the guard interjected before Booker could come up with a suitable reply.

Booker lifted his eyebrows at Nile and she broke character for the first time that night and grinned at him. Luckily the guard couldn’t see their expressions. Before they lost their focus, the door opened behind them.

“Thank you, you may go,” a new voice said.

Booker and Nile turned around to see the security guard walk out the door and a new man enter. The man was graying around his temples and dressed in a well-tailored suit that spoke of money. He stepped around the desk to sit across from Booker and Nile, then took a moment to check something on his computer. Booker had been around long enough to recognize these tactics and he turned to smirk at Nile. Their hands were still linked. The man was trying to create a tense atmosphere, trying to make them nervous. It wasn’t going to work. Even if he killed them, they’d get better.

Finally, the man looked at them. “My name is Jean Dupuis, the owner of this Casino. I thought it would be good to meet the man who has been beating my dealer all night.”

“Sébastien,” Booker replied shortly. “I just like to play cards. I’ve had a lucky night. That’s all.”

“Mmm,” Dupuis hummed. “You didn’t lose a single round. That’s very impressive.”

“ _Chéri?”_ Nile turned to him with wide eyes.Booker had to turn away before he broke character and laughed.

“I had a good night. Lady Luck was on my side,” he said, offering a warm glance to Nile.

“A very good night,” Dupuis agreed. “You know, the Casino frowns on cheating.”

“I didn’t cheat,” Booker said, letting a bit of fear leak into his voice.

“I see. I’m watching the security feed,” Dupuis said. “And while you look quite distracted by your lovely companion you do quite well. Perhaps your Lady Luck,” he said with skepticism obvious in his voice, “was helping you count cards.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”Nile interjected. “Why would he need to count cards if they’re already numbered? My Sébastien is just good at blackjack.”

Booker struggled to maintain his composure at the act Nile was putting on felt a little jump at the sound of Nile referring to him as hers. “She didn’t count cards,” he said as calmly as he could.

“But you did,” Dupuis remarked placidly.

“No, I weighed the odds. And my bets were good,” Booker replied. “I don’t cheat.”

And the thing was, he didn’t cheat. Frankly, he was surprised he’d done as well as he had with Nile proving very distracting, practically sitting in his lap.

“Maybe not,” Dupuis allowed. “And yet I can’t afford to lose so much money to guests at my casino.” He paused, pulling something else up on his computer. When his attention was back on Booker and Nile, he said, “I have some business to attend to. My security will see that you remain here until I decide what to do with you.”

Booker gave Nile’s hand another squeeze, and she nodded slightly. To the casual observer it would look like nothing more than an acknowledgement of comfort offered, but it was a sign that she had understood his plan. Mr. Dupuis was leaving them alone with his computer and a single security guard. Either he was extremely confident or extremely incompetent. Either option was good for them.

Mr. Dupuis left the room and locked the door behind him. Nile dropped her act like shedding a jacket she no longer needed. She slipped off her shoes. Booker smirked at her and got up to go around the desk.

“Sit down,” the guard said sharply.

Booker looked at Nile, then at the guard. He sat down in the chair Dupuis had just vacated. Nile grinned at him. Angry now, the guard started forward to forcibly remove Booker from behind the desk, and Nile rose to intercept him. The surprised look on the man’s face was gratifying, but Booker didn’t spend much time thinking about it. He had to find the files before Dupuis got back.

The guard tried to grab Nile to bring her back under control and she ducked out of the way, using her forward momentum to duck under his swing and throw a punch to his kidney. He swung around, flailing, and Nile shifted her feet to keep the man in front of her. Booker had to force himself to look back to the computer instead of allowing himself to be distracted by Nile’s well-honed combat style. The fight was over in a few more strikes. The guard had nothing on a woman who had spent nearly a century perfecting her fighting. She landed a hit to his solar plexus immediately followed by a punch to the throat. A paperweight to his temple from the desk behind her knocked him unconscious.

Nile slipped her heels back on and walked around behind Booker. “I hate these shoes,” she muttered, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen with him. “What have you found so far?”

“Not much. The computer was password protected and I just got in,” Booker replied, trying to ignore how close she was to him. He pointedly did not turn to look at her. It would put his face much too close to hers.

“I can’t guarantee you much more time,” Joe’s voice came through his ear piece.

“I’m working on it,” Booker grumbled.

“There,” Nile said, pointing out a folder on the screen, bringing her body even closer to his.

Booker barely kept himself from making a noise at the contact. “I see it.” He clicked on the folder and found accounting documents and transaction histories for the human trafficking operation that Dupuis was running. It was enough to distract him from Nile’s proximity.

“Fuck.”

Booker agreed. He kept scrolling, looking for any indication of where Dupuis kept his victims.

“Booker,” Joe warned, “security.”

“Shit,” he muttered.

“What?”

“Incoming.”

“But we still don’t know where he’s keeping his victims,” Nile protested, like that would slow anyone down.

He scrolled a little farther and found what he needed. “He’s keeping them at the Casino.”

“ _Here?_ Where?”

“The basement.”

“Booker,” Joe’s voice warned, more urgent this time.

He closed out of the folder and Nile and Booker sat back in their chairs. The guard was groaning at their feet.

“Get out of there,” Joe said.

“If they find us with the guard like this, they might take us to the same place they’re keeping their victims,” Booker replied.

Nile turned to give him a disbelieving look. Before he could explain further, the door swung open. Two guards entered, followed by Dupuis. Dupuis took one look at the first guard, just beginning to stir, and Booker and Nile acting deliberately casual in their chairs, and seemed to catch on to their purpose in his casino. A snap of his fingers and a hand wave in their general direction had his guards yanking Booker and Nile to their feet.

“So you weren’t cheating,” Dupuis says. “But you are clearly not innocent. Let’s go.”

The guards pulled them out of the room, manhandling them down the hallway into an elevator. They put up enough of a fight to be convincing and Booker took a moment to be glad Nile was willing to trust him with so little explanation. They were likely going to kill them and then leave their bodies to deal with later, which would work out for Booker and Nile. It would give them the time they needed to find the hostages, help them escape, and get out.

Nile pressed her body to Booker’s and whispered, “Did you get the files?”

Booker nodded and got a shove for his trouble. He didn’t think they heard Nile. He had barely heard her, but the guards knew that any communication between the two of them was bad for their organization.

He couldn’t resist one more comment to Nile, however, and he lowered his head so she would hear him say, “I don’t think they’re buying the whole harmless damsel act anymore.”

She grinned up at him with a look of pure mischief. “Probably not.”

They were pushed roughly out of the elevator with a barked “Quiet!” from the guards. Booker looked around him as they stepped into a darkened hallway lined with doors. When he realized they were walking past imprisoned people, he had to fight back a surge of fury. He was ready to drop the charade and hurt every single one of the people at his back, but Nile squeezed his arm and he forced himself to keep up the act. She was as angry as he was, but they had to finish the job.

They came to the end of the hallway, and abruptly, Booker realized he might have to watch Nile die. He wasn’t prepared for that, even knowing she would come back.

“Do you need back up?” came Joe’s voice in his ear piece.

Booker shook his head. It was hard to remember that Joe could only see what was visible through the button cam and not his expressions. “I have a plan.”

The guard shoved them into a room and they turned around, finally able to look at their captors. They were all nondescript, a bunch of hired muscle. Probably better at looking intimidating than they were at combat. The guns at their hips were the real threat. Booker rolled his eyes. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn’t have done that. It seemed to be what set the guards off, which made him want to roll his eyes again. Staring down the barrel of the gun drove home how bad an idea that would be; he wasn’t particularly fond of head shots.

Dupuis stepped up from behind the guards. “As I’m sure you have realized by now, I cannot let the pair of you walk out of here alive. It would put my organization at risk.” He paused a moment, looking at the guard with his gun aimed at Booker. “But I will spare you the pain of watching your charming companion die.” And with that he walked out.

Booker barely heard the bang of the gun before his world went black.

He came back to life to the sight of Nile’s face, her hands cupping his face, and her voice in his ears telling him he better come back, dammit, or she was going to kill him herself. He groaned.

“You’re alive,” he said, which was stupid. Of course she was alive.

“Joe created a distraction,” Nile explained. “They locked the room and left me alive. Probably to torture me with your dead body until they got back.” Booker sat up, glancing away “Next time, I’m not watching you die,” she added once he was looking at her again.

There was something else to what she was saying, but Booker wasn’t ready to face it head on. “You think I want to watch you die, _chérie_?” he asked instead, the endearment slipping out without thought.

“We could try doing a job where neither of us dies,” Nile suggested, her tone dry as a desert. “Find a way to save everyone and take down the bad guy without them killing us.”

He gave her a small smile and a huffed a short laugh. “We could try that,” he said, letting his head drop. “It doesn’t seem to work out that way very often.”

Joe interrupted. “Oh good, you’re with us. Nicky is on his way to you. You can release the victims while I neutralize Dupuis.”

“Is that Joe?” Nile asked, taking note of Booker’s distant look. When he nodded she reached her hand out to him and said, “Give me the earpiece.”

Booker frowned. “Where’s your earpiece?”

“I lost it during the fight,” Nile replied, voice hard.

“You haven’t had comms with Nicky and Joe since then? Why didn’t you say anything?” Booker asked.

“Because I trusted you, but then you died, so hand me the goddamn earpiece,” Nile said, frustration leaking into her voice.

He handed it to her without another word. She placed it in her ear with practiced ease and turned her back to Booker.

“Joe,” Nile said and he wished he could hear what Joe was saying. He wished he could see Nile’s face, but all he could see was her back and it hurt. “Next time Booker says we don’t need back up, we need back up.” There was a pause as Joe responded. “It was at least five minutes, Joe. And I had to sit with Booker as a goddamn corpse because he thought this was a good idea.” Another pause. “The door is locked from the outside, but if you can pick the lock we can rescue the other captives.”

After a few more minutes, Nile took the earpiece out and handed it back to Booker.

“Nile,” Booker started and paused at the look of steel on her face.

“We don’t have time for this, Booker. Nicky is out there making a distraction and Joe is coming to get us out,” Nile said. Flat and angry, her tone left no room for argument.

Booker shut his mouth. She was right. Right now, they had to focus on finishing the job, but as soon as they were out of the Casino and in a safe house, he would apologize to her. He hadn’t realized how long it had taken him to come back to life. To him, it had been mere moments.

They sat in tense silence until the door swung open and Joe appeared with a grim look on his face. Booker had a feeling he had just backtracked a couple of years in Joe’s opinion of him. It wasn’t the time to worry about it though.

“Everyone still alive?” Joe asked.

“So far,” Nile replied.

She slipped off her shoes and the three of them ran out of the room, opening doors as they went. People poked their heads out of the doors to three strangers who looked more than a little rumpled running down the hallway. They kept going.

“Nicky found a back way out that we can access from down here. That way, we can avoid bringing everyone out through the Casino,” Joe said as they neared the end of the hallway. “He left to get our things from the hotel so we don’t have to go back.”

Booker and Nile didn’t respond. There was no need to. They just kept going, a stream of people behind them. Not many, but enough to cause a stir. Out in the open air, Joe stopped and began speaking quietly with one of the older victims, a gentle expression on his face. Booker and Nile stood guard while they waited for Nicky. Not long after, the woman Joe had been speaking with led the group of victims away.

“Nicky is going to meet us a couple blocks from here,” Joe said, giving Nile’s bare feet a dubious look.

With a sigh, she slipped the heels back on. “As long as we don’t have to run, I’ll be fine.”

Without another word, the trio walked to meet Nicky in the car. It was a silent ride to the safe house just east of Nice. Joe and Nicky seemed to feel the tension radiating off of Nile, and elected not to say anything to break the silence. Booker felt it wise to follow suit. Though there was only a seat between them, Nile felt a million miles away, more distant than she had ever felt when they were separated by his exile.

* * *

At the safe house, Joe and Nicky grabbed their duffles out of the trunk and made their way inside. Nile made no move to grab her bag. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was not looking at him. Booker wished desperately she would say something. After a moment, she grabbed her duffle and walked inside, so Booker followed suit.

Inside the house, Joe and Nicky were nowhere to be seen. “I guess they took the upper level,” Nile said, looking around them while Booker shrugged out of his jacket.

“Nile,” Booker started, trying to take up where he left off inside the Casino.

“You know, Booker,” Nile said, once again cutting him off. “I really hate watching you die. And I haven’t had to see that too often, but tonight? Tonight sucked.”

“Nile, I’m sorry.” He finally got out the words that he had wanted to say all night.

“I had to sit there with your dead body,” she said, and he was almost positive he heard tears in her voice. He wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but she was closed off. “Your face was a bloody mess and I didn’t know if you were going to come back.”

“Nile.” He didn’t know what he was going to say next. Another apology wouldn’t be nearly enough.

“We care about you, Book. We don’t want to see you die.” Nile took a deep breath and then added, “I don’t want to see you die.”

“I should have given you a choice,” Booker admitted. “I should have told you my plan.”

“You should have,” Nile agreed. She finally looked at him, and Booker felt something tighten in his chest at the grief written across her face. “I was right there. I’m—” She paused and took another deep breath. “I’m right here.”

Suddenly Nile was in his space and his brain hadn’t really registered when she’d moved closer to him. Her arms were no longer crossed, and she looked half ready to reach out to him. He could feel her, feel the heat off her body, and it took everything in he had to hold himself back. It was too dangerous, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His eyes scanned her face, and lower. He told himself he was checking to make sure she was alright.

“I’m right here, Booker,” she repeated herself, laying a hand on his arm. “I have been for the last couple of decades.”

Her touch was like a brand on his arm, like a seal. “Nile,” Booker rasped.

She’d left her heels in the car, so she had to stand on her toes to put her face level with his. Bracing herself on his arm, she leaned forward, closing the distance between them to press a chaste kiss to his lips. The soft touch burned, lighting him on fire.

He gripped her arm with his free hand and let his forehead drop against hers. “Nile.” His voice was so hoarse.

“Is that all you can say?” If she hadn’t just opened up her heart, he might have thought she was teasing him.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. His brain was scrambled; all he could do was hold onto her like a drowning man .

“Okay,” Nile replied and made to gently extract herself from his hold.

Her touch had set him into a spiral, but he didn’t want her to let go either. His grip on her tightened reflexively. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. He tried to will himself to let her go, to convince himself it would be better if he let her go, but he couldn’t. Not now. Not after what she had said. So he pulled her closer to him, freeing his arm from her grip so he could cup her jaw.

“Booker,” Nile’s voice was barely more than a whisper, her body still, waiting.

“I don’t know what to say,” Booker admitted. “I don’t want to let you go and I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then don’t,” Nile said and kissed him again, harder, less chaste.

Maybe it was that easy. For a moment, he could hold her close instead of pushing her away. _You won’t hurt her, Booker._ He didn’t want to. Yet he still pulled Nile closer, deepening the kiss. One of her hands tangled in his hair and the light scratch of her nails against his scalp sent a tremor down his spine. Desperate to be closer, he let his hand skim over her arm to the small of her back, pulling her in. She gasped at the touch of his hand against her bare skin. Her body pressed against his and he bit back a groan.

Nile broke away, her chest heaving, and he let his forehead rest against hers. For a long moment all they could do was breathe. Nile played with his hair and his eyes fell closed as he lost himself to the sensation.

“Sébastien,” Nile said and he opened his eyes at the sound of his name on her lips. “I want you.”

“You have me,” he assured her.

Nile kissed him again, hard and bruising before letting her hand drop from the back of his head and pulled away. The loss of her touch was like coming unmoored until she took his hand instead and pulled him to the bedroom on the ground floor. Once the door was shut she crowded Booker against the door. The press of her body against his as she kissed him galvanized him and he surged forward. It wasn’t clear if he was pushing her or she was pulling him, but it no longer mattered when she was on the bed staring up at him with pupils blown wide.

God, she was beautiful. Booker took a moment to hold himself above her, take her in, take it all in. Her hands skated over his ribs, hot through the fabric of his dress shirt, pulling him back into the present. He sat up and Nile followed, chasing him. Her fingers deftly took care of the buttons on the shirt and he quickly shrugged out of it. When she looked back up at him, Booker cupped her jaw and kissed her slowly, letting some of the urgency fall away as he guided her back down to the bed.

He pulled away enough to groan, “This fucking dress,” as he undid the fasten at the back of her neck and pulled the top down so it pooled around her waist.

“You liked it,” Nile said, her voice catching as he dropped a kiss to breast.

“Maybe,” he agreed, continuing his exploration of all Nile’s newly revealed skin.

“Sébastien,” she moaned. Booker could get used to her saying his name. He wanted to hear her say it again and again.

He pressed another kiss lower down her body, breathing her name into her skin like a promise.

She pushed her hand back into his hair, tugging lightly. He tilted his head back to meet her hooded gaze. He was taken aback again at how beautiful she was as his eyes met hers. How they were here now together, Booker couldn’t quite fathom. It wasn’t that long ago he was convinced Nile would never be anything other than a friend to him, that he didn’t deserve anything else. He pressed his face into her stomach, then kissed her again, moving lower still. The sounds Nile made as he traced a path down her stomach and over the crest of her hips, closer and closer to her center, were hypnotic. Her grip on his hair tightened and he let his teeth scrape the inside of her thigh in response and was rewarded with a sharp gasp as her back arched off the bed.

He hooked his arm underneath Nile’s thigh and gripped her hip. He wanted to linger over her, explore her. He wasn't in any rush, but he could feel the urgency in Nile’s movements, in the way her fingers still laced through his hair. Nile let out a high pitched keening when he finally made it to the apex of her thighs.

“Booker.” Her broken voice only encouraged him. “Sébastien, please.” What wouldn’t he do for her if only she asked.

“Anything for you, _mon cœur,_ ” he said and he buried his face in her center. He could tell himself that the way her breath hitched was from the feel of his tongue pressed against her clit instead of what he had just admitted. Rather than think about it, he devoted himself to the effort of making Nile come. The sounds she made and the way her hands reached for him, held him drove him on. When Nile did come, he lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her hip and then looked up. Her hands were no longer on him and her eyes had drifted closed. She was breathtaking.

He could remember the point where something had shifted between them. It had only been a couple of years ago, one of the last times he had worked with her before Nicky reached out. They had ended up collaborating on the same job when they realized their goals were the same. Rather than leaving afterwards, Nile had stayed. When she did finally check back in with Andy, he remembered feeling the strongest urge to kiss her but he didn’t. She wrapped his arms around him, and murmured into his chest, _see you in a few years, Booker_ , and walked away, just as she had every time before.

Now here she was, pleasure written all over her face, because of him. He moved up the bed, lying alongside her and Nile reached out to him, cupping his jaw, she turned and kissed him. It was warm and seductive, lacking the urgency from before, but still full of promise. He reached out to pull her towards him and she came willingly until she was half on top of him, her hands roaming down his body. He groaned into her mouth as she slipped a leg between his.

“What do you want, Book?”

Her hand stroked up and down his hip, driving any thought out of his mind, as she got tantalizingly close to his erection. He wanted her touch and at the same time, he knew that as soon as she put her hand on him he would be gone. All night he had only wanted her closer. Once she kissed him, he could not stop seeking that closeness. He wrapped a hand around her wrist and she pulled back to look at him.

“I want to be inside of you.” Booker barely recognized his voice.

The grin on her face was dangerous. “I can make that happen.”

Nile shifted until her hand was braced on the opposite side of him so she could slip her leg out from between his and straddle him instead. She bent down and kissed his mouth, then his jaw, then his chest. Each brush of her lips against his skin set his nerves on fire. His hands found her hips and he held onto her like she was a lifeline.

Her center brushed against his cock and his head fell back. When he opened his eyes, Nile was watching him with a look he couldn’t quite read on her face. Slowly, so slowly, she guided herself onto him. His breath hitched.

“You still with me?” she asked, with her hands pressed against his chest.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Yeah, I’m still with you.”

“Good.” Nile leaned down to kiss him and then slowly began to move.

Her movement became more urgent and they fell into a rhythm, both chasing orgasm. He held her close to him as they moved together. Her muscles began to flutter around him and her rhythm stuttered and he knew she was close. He reached between them rubbing circles to bring her over the edge. When she came, she pressed her face into his shoulder and he held her to him and rolled them so she was underneath him. Nile’s gaze met his with a look of overwhelming warmth and after a few more thrusts he came.

Booker rolled to the side and Nile followed him, pressing her body against him like she needed to be near him with the same urgency he felt. He wrapped her up in his arms and she pressed her face into his chest. For some time, they just laid there, the room silent except for the sound of their breathing. Booker traced patterns absently across her back and arm. He would have thought she had fallen asleep except for the little circles she drew on his chest.

Nile pressed a kiss to his chest and then looked up at him, her hand stilling. “You still have twenty years left,” she said.

“I’ll see you before then,” Booker said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “We always seem to find each other.”

He felt her hold on him tighten and he knew she didn’t want to part ways any more than he did. He had bared something of himself tonight and he didn’t know how to go back to the way things were before. The remaining twenty years seemed longer than the three hundred years he’d already lived.

“I don’t want to leave,” Nile told him. The _you_ she left unsaid hung in the air between them.

Booker tightened his hold on her. “I know, _chérie_. Neither do I.”

They fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other’s arms. It was the most peaceful Booker had felt in centuries, since before he learned he couldn’t die. It was more than he would have ever expected or hoped for.

* * *

In the morning, Nile was still asleep, half draped over Booker. He was loath to leave, but he needed to shower. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and slowly eased out from under Nile. She shifted slightly but remained asleep. When he came back, drying his hair with a towel, she was sitting up in bed, wide awake.

“Good morning, _chérie_.” Booker walked over to the side of the bed and leaned over to kiss her.

She kissed him back warmly and eagerly and Booker was tempted to crawl back into bed with her, but they had to leave. He gently pulled away, already feeling the loss.

“It’s only twenty more years,” Nile said, trying to reassure them both. “What’s twenty years compared to centuries, right?” The smile on her face was only a little forced.

“It’ll be gone in the blink of an eye,” he said, voice quiet.

Booker got dressed while Nile got in the shower and when he was done, it was time to face the peanut gallery. Joe and Nicky were both in the kitchen when he got there. Nicky brought a cup of coffee to his lips and raised his eyebrows without saying a word. Then again, he didn’t need to. His look said more than enough. Booker turned to Joe.

He shrugged. “You’re adults and she knows what she’s doing.”

It was more than Booker had hoped for. After last night, and the intervening decades, Booker had expected to be warned away from Nile, told not to hurt her. After their talk, he wasn’t surprised that Nicky hadn’t voiced any disapproval, but he hadn’t expected Joe’s tacit acceptance.

“Do you want some breakfast?” Nicky asked, stepping to the side to reveal the stove. “There’s eggs. And coffee.”

Before Booker could say anything, Nile answered for both of them, “I would love some breakfast. And coffee.”

She wrapped an arm around Booker’s waist and he spared a surprised glance for her before accepting Nicky’s offer of breakfast. The four of them sat around the table and it felt almost like old times. Except now he had Nile.

It was still morning by the time they finished packing and cleaning up the safehouse. Joe and Nicky went out to the car, giving Nile and Booker privacy to say goodbye before they packed up. Once they were alone, Nile placed a hand on his arm, not meeting his eye. He couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t leave with her avoiding him like this.

He placed a gentle hand on her jaw. “ _Mon cœur,_ ” he murmured and she looked up at him. “It will not be so long.”

“I know. But I feel like I just found you, and now I’m losing you again.”

He kissed her and repeated the words she said to him last night. “I’m right here.” And then he added, “Only a text away.”

She smiled at him and threw her arms around him. “See you in twenty years, Sébastien.”

“Sooner, _mon amour._ ”

With those words Nile left to meet Joe and Nicky by the car. Distantly, Booker heard Joe tell Nile he was happy for her and Booker looked up and met Joe’s gaze. He might not be fully forgiven yet, but things were mending. Booker nodded and Joe turned to get in the car. He watched them drive away and thought twenty years was far too long.

**Author's Note:**

> Translation:
> 
> Tu me sais, mon coeur: you know me, my heart


End file.
